Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Wednesday 28 July 1999

Scottish Executive

Finance

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to fund the cost of Scottish Ministers or junior Scottish Ministers travelling over the Skye bridge, what costs have been incurred to date, and what the estimated costs for the current financial year are.

Mr Jack McConnell: Toll charges incurred by Scottish Ministers or Deputy Ministers for travel over the Skye Bridge on official business are reimbursed from budgets allocated within the Scottish Executive for travel and subsistence expenses purposes. To date no costs have been incurred by Scottish Ministers or Deputy Ministers in respect of travel over the Skye Bridge. The estimated costs for the current financial year are £103.

Finance

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to apply the revised guidance on Private Finance Initiative accounting transactions announced by Her Majesty's Government on 24 June 1999 to future capital projects in Scotland and, if so, what implications it expects the revised guidance to have for staff employed in Scotland's public services.

Mr Jack McConnell: The revised guidance will be applied in Scotland. Officials in the Scottish Executive Private Finance Unit are discussing its general application with H M Treasury. It is likely that the guidance will result in greater flexibility to exclude some services not directly associated with the maintenance of the asset.

Next Steps Agencies

Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made regarding its Next Steps Agencies.

Donald Dewar: The Executive has decided to retain the current management system. Ministers will take an active interest in setting targets and monitoring the progress of Agencies within their areas of responsibility.

  The Executive has sole responsibility for ten Agencies. These are:

  Historic Scotland

  Fisheries Research Services

  Scottish Agricultural Science Agency

  Scottish Court Service

  Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency

  Scottish Office Pensions Agency

  Scottish Prison Service

  Student Awards Agency for Scotland

  Registers of Scotland

  National Archives of Scotland

  Registers of Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland are distinctive in that they are self-standing Departments.

  The following necessary procedural steps have been put in hand:

  Agency Annual Reports and Accounts for the year to 31 March 1999 are being prepared in the usual way, and will be laid before both the Scottish Parliament and the United Kingdom Parliament.

  Targets for each Agency for 1999-2000 will be agreed between Ministers, Departments and Chief Executives. These will be announced in the Scottish Parliament in due course.

  Ministers will reply to Members’ correspondence relating to policy issues and Chief Executives will reply to Members’ correspondence on operational matters.

  Discussions are taking place on arrangements for answering Parliamentary Questions relating to Agencies.

  All Agency Framework Documents will be updated to reflect the Executive’s departmental structures and the responsibilities of Scottish Ministers. Copies of updated Framework Documents will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre in due course.

Tobacco Advertising

Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Twelfth Annual Report of the Committee for Monitoring Agreements on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship will be published.

Susan Deacon: The report was published yesterday. Copies will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.